The Nightmare Before Christmas
by StarKnight2.0
Summary: Pre-Season 2 of AoS. Coulson and the team head to Gotham for an operation against a Hydra owned bank. However, they encounter a new demented enemy. No longer a one shot!
1. Ch1: Christmas in Gotham

**(a/n: Enjoy and review!)**

* * *

The Nightmare Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas…actually, it was a night and two weeks before Christmas.

A bleak, freezing cold swept through the streets of Gotham City. A light blanket of snow and frost covered the streets and rooftops of the dark, grimy city.

Despite the usual darkness and gloom of Gotham, there seemed to be a light spirit buzzing through the city. Decorations and bright colorful lights were hung up around the city and seemed to lighten the mood for most folks.

From the upper echelons to the lower elements, everyone seemed to be in good cheer, everyone except Agent Phil Coulson of Shield.

During the last year or so, the Shield agent and his group had been busy trying to rebuild the shattered intelligence organization. Ever since their old enemy Hydra had returned from the shadows of history and the betrayal of their comrade, Agent Grant Ward, the process has been slow and painful.

Not really knowing whom to trust, who won't betray them to the government or even to Hydra.

As of late, the newer and smaller incarnation of Shield has been competing with their foe to keep bright young talents from falling into the hands of Hydra and doing all they can to prevent Hydra's return to their former terrible glory.

Which brings us to Gotham.

After months of work, Agent Coulson, who is acting as both an agent and the Director of Shield, and his closest comrades managed to piece together some clues pertaining to a cell of the Hydra organization operating in the bleak city of Gotham, providing both finances and manpower to the growing organization.

Currently sitting in a booth in a small and sparsely occupied café, the Director of Shield was reviewing intelligence reports one last time before they made their first move.

According to Ward, the Gotham branch of Hydra was established a while back by several operatives while Shield was still up and running. They established a foothold and through some connections to some corrupt local politicians and criminal organizations, Hydra was able to pump some money out of the city and even get a few willing volunteers to join up.

If all goes according to plan, taking out this branch will strike a huge blow to the organization.

Coulson had memorized the files and photos before the team had left their base. He pictured them in his mind and quickly reviewed the information.

Hydra mostly keeps to themselves but had their hands in many pies in Gotham. Police, city hall, criminal organizations, every level of Gotham has at least one position filled by a member of Hydra or was bought out.

Most of the money flowed from the streets, local business and politicians to the prestigious Gotham Merchants Bank, owned and ran by a crime boss allied to Hydra, who goes by the name of Roman Sionis.

Coulson frowned a little. Sionis, on the surface, seemed like nothing more than a wealthy eccentric. He donated money to charities, was publicly well known for his public projects to help clean up Gotham and improve lives, but he was always seen wearing an odd porcelain mask that hid his true face.

When asked about it, Sionis would casually joke that he's camera shy but Coulson knew the truth about why he wears a mask and who Roman Sionis truly was.

Sionis was born into power and wealth but had a brutal childhood and had a rather terrible beginning in the business world, what with his corporation falling into dire straits and having been absorbed by Stark's biggest business rival, Wayne Enterprises.

After Sionis' company was bought out, his life seemed to fall to pieces all around him. A rather cruel and public break up with his fiancée, a horrible accident that hospitalized him and long stretch of bad luck that made Ward's childhood look almost sane.

Sionis then suddenly one day vanished off of everyone's radar, including Shield.

Some said he had become a shut-in or had gone into isolation in shame. Some even claimed that he had died and for a while, that was the prevailing theory.

At least, until in recent years Sionis returned to Gotham and made a serious name for himself in black market arms deals, trafficking, and various other foul deeds that put him at the top of the watch lists of every law enforcement agency in the world, including Shield.

Coulson opened his eyes and glanced out the window to the cold, wintry streets.

A few people shuffled on past his window as the first flakes of snow began to fall and the evening began to grow darker and greyer.

The time was growing closer. Across the street was the Gotham Merchants Bank, a large, marble building that looked more like an ancient Roman palace than a bank, where the wealthy and connected have money stored and where most of Sionis' business is conducted.

Coulson scanned the street outside the café.

The streets were now becoming more and more vacant by the minute as the citizens of Gotham were heading home for the night and to get out of the freezing cold, which suited the needs of Coulson and his team.

"Everyone in position?" asked Coulson softly into his communicator.

" _Just about"_ said Skye

" _I'm good here"_ reported Agent May

" _We're good to go"_ reported Agent Triplett.

Coulson nodded slowly "Good. You know the drill. Get in, get what we need and get out. Nothing fancy"

" _No need to worry"_ said Skye " _We'll be out before anyone notices"._

Coulson's eyes drifted to a beat up blacked out van parked on the corner of the street near an alley. He looked up towards the roof of the towering building and could barely see shapes moving along the edges. Everything was in place.

"Lets move" commanded Coulson.

With that simple command, the Agents of Shield went to work.

* * *

Agent May stalked through the dimly lit in the upper floors of Gotham Merchants Bank. She gripped her weapon tightly and carefully scanned the empty hall for any signs of hidden security measures.

So far, there wasn't anything except empty office cubicles and a few security cameras dotting the ceiling and the corners of the room.

May glided past the cameras with no need to worry about them, thanks to Skye's handy work hacking into the cameras and causing them to run on a loop.

Her eyes scanned around the room and managed to see a hall that might lead her to where she needed to go. The experienced agent weaved through the maze of cubicles all adorned in glowing Christmas lights and slipped through a pair of tall glass doors that led into a spacious office space.

The office wasn't decorated like the rest and looked the part of the office of a powerful businessman a large wooden desk, a large swivel chair, some exotic plants and a large portrait of a handsome man in a suit hanging behind the desk.

May paused for a moment and let her eyes adjust to the dark.

Once they had adjusted, May fished a small device from her belt and scanned the dark, empty office. The device beeped, indicating that there wasn't anything relating to surveillance or security technology.

It seems as though Sionis didn't think that anyone could ever set foot in his office without his permission or didn't see the need to add small additional security measures outside of typical building security.

 _Big mistake_ , thought Agent May.

The agent went to the desk. She flexed her fingers and got to work. Quickly and carefully rummaging through the drawers, May's search yielded not so pleasing results. She found nothing that could in the least bit related to Hydra.

Unless the packet of breath mints or the supply order that lay in the topmost drawer were brilliant disguises for something more sinister, May's part in this mission was looking rather dismal.

Which isn't good. May silently cursed under her breath as she slid the last drawer closed. Her eyes scanned the darkness around her. There didn't seem to be anything that would indicate any secrets were hidden in the office, but a man like Sionis would have at least something stashed in the office.

" _Anything May?"_ asked Coulson.

"Negative" replied May softly "There doesn't seem to be anything that…" she trailed off. Her eyes landed on the large portrait of Roman Sionis. It looked a little…off.

She touched the golden frame and nudged it to the right a little. The portrait slid aside effortlessly on a hidden track of sorts, revealing a secret wall safe that was buried almost a foot into the wall behind where the portrait was.

" _May? May, what's wrong?"_ asked Coulson.

"I found a safe" said May "But we have a bit of a problem"

" _What kinda problem"_ asked Skye. The door of the wall safe had a huge, gaping hole in it. May pulled the safe's door open, revealing the empty interior.

Then it hit May. "Someone's beat us to the punch" concluded May.

" _What?"_ exclaimed Skye.

" _Damn"_ muttered Triplett.

Coulson said nothing. Like May, the Director was more than likely trying to piece together who may have gotten to Sionis' office first when suddenly, May heard faint footfalls and whispering coming from the hall.

The agent switched off her communicator, closed the safe and slid the painting back into place than quickly slipped into a dark room behind a door on the other side of the office just as the door slowly swung open.

May held her breath and remained as still and silent as humanly possible. She heard a pair of voices chatting. Both voices were male and they both sounded very tired and annoyed.

"Come on, lets go" complained the first "The boss is waiting downstairs. You know what he's like when he's kept waiting"

"Hold on" hissed the second "I thought heard something in here". There was some shuffling sounds and some clatter outside the door. May looked down and saw some light spilling through the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.

She gripped her Icer pistol tightly and was ready for what came next. However, there was a crackle of static and a voice growled something and there were some quick footfalls then silence.

May waited in total silence and darkness for a few long, slow minutes and then let out a small sigh of relief.

She reached for the handle to return to Sionis' office but stopped. The agent sniffed the air for a moment and a faint sweet smell crawled up her nostril.

 _Peppermint?_ Thought May, curiously.

It was too dark to see, even with her well adjusted eyes. She reached down and pulled a small, pen sized flashlight from her belt and clicked it on.

When the tiny flashlight banished the darkness, Agent May discovered two things: the first being that she was in a storage closet of sorts that contained various cleaning and office supplies.

The second was the fact that Agent May and her comrades needed to get the hell out of this bank.

* * *

Downstairs, Agent Triplett and Skye strolled in to the spacious and quiet bank.

The lobby was vast and reminded the two agents more of an ancient Roman government building. A high ceiling held up by thick marble columns, a massive clock inlaid into the wall ticking away softly and grand staircases that led up to the upper floor.

Tall, skinny windows were covered in a film of frost and ice, accenting the Christmas decorum that adorned the marble walls, pillars and statues around the lobby. Two security guards manned the front desk that sat at the far end of the massive lobby.

The two men looked big, one had blond hair, the other black. Both wore plain grey and black uniforms and wore holsters on their belts.

The two guards sat with their backs to the two approaching agents and were facing a small, portable television that was playing a late night talk show. Triplett drew his Icer gun and was ready to take a clean shot but he paused.

Something about this didn't seem right. The fact that there were only two security guards in a bank as big and wealthy as Gotham Merchant's seemed a little strange.

Triplett then felt nervousness twist in his gut. Not only that, the two men were as still as statues. They didn't even react to when he and Skye just strolled in through the front door like nothing was wrong.

Triplett placed a hand on the shoulder of one of the guards and the guard slumped back in his chair and the agent turned the guard around to get a look at the guard's face.

What he saw made his blood run cold and his heart jump into the back of his throat.

Frozen on the guard's face was an inhumanly wide grin that showed his pearly white teeth. His eyes were wide open and stared up blankly at Triplett and Skye.

Skye jumped back "Whoa! What the hell!" " _What is it?"_ asked Coulson in concern.

Triplett inspected the two guards. They were both cold and there were no heartbeats from either of them.

"We got two creepy stiffs" said Triplett "Both looked like they…they..." his voice trailed off.

" _Looked like what?"_ asked Coulson

"Like the laughed themselves to death" observed Skye. The cold, lifeless eyes of the two dead guards stared blankly at the two agents.

Skye shivered a little. Whoever these men were, whether they were Hydra agents or not, the way they died was horrible. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy. Former agent Ward was probably the only exception.

Agent Triplett leaned in closer to one of the dead guards and sniffed.

Skye cringed "Trip, what the hell?" "These guys smell like candy canes" observed Triplett.

Skye frowned and she sniffed the air then she leaned in closer to one of the guards and sniffed. Her eyebrows rose "Huh, you're right…"

" _Skye, Trip, do you copy?"_ spoke May.

"We read you" said Skye "What's up?"

" _I got another body up here. Its similar to yours"_ reported the experienced agent " _Even down to the peppermint smell"_

"What could've done this?" wondered Triplett

" _Don't know"_ said Coulson, sounding perplexed " _Maybe some form of chemical agent or something" "Or a killer Santa Claus"_ said Agent May, dryly.

"That's one hell of a chemical" muttered Triplett

"We're not in danger of being poisoned too, right?" asked Skye nervously "Like its not airborne or contagious, is it?"

"Not sure" said Triplett "But whatever it is, we got to get moving"

" _Exactly"_ said Coulson " _Try and dig up what you can and get the hell out of there quickly. We don't know what we're dealing with here"_

 _"We'll we're not alone"_ added Agent May " _Some thugs came searching through Sionis's office and I heard them say that their boss is waiting for them"._

Skye frowned "Boss?" "What do you think, robbery? Heist?" asked Triplett.

The two agents could practically hear May shrug " _I'm not sure. Whoever they are, they're probably looking for the same things we are"_

 _"Either way, the mission is the same"_ said Coulson firmly " _In and out without a trace"._

"Got it" said Skye. Triplett and Skye got behind the front desk and scooted the dead guards aside.

Skye accessed the security guard's computer and patched into the security feed and the computer's files.

The camera footage that she got was all crystal clear, no signs of anyone else. Which made Skye pause. "Weird" muttered the hacker.

"What's weird?" asked Triplett

"I can't see anyone else on the cameras" said Skye "There's like no security guards anywhere else in the bank at all. Its like they all went home for the night or…"

"Or somebody killed them" finished Triplett, grimly.

" _I was thinking the same thing"_ said Agent May " _and I may have found your answer. Pull up the security camera for conference room six in the northwest corner of the building"._

Skye obeyed and searched the many security feeds on her computer and managed to find it.

When she pulled up the live feed, her blood ran cold and she felt the contents of her stomach hiking their way up into the back of her throat.

"Oh my God" breathed Skye in horror. In the conference room, there were dozens, if not at least a hundred, bodies all laid out in perfect rows and stacked up. They all had the same twisted, toothy grin frozen on their faces and their eyes were wide and seemed to stare up at her.

" _More guards"_ said May " _But most of them are bank employees, judging from their attire and the content of some of their wallets"._

 _"That doesn't make sense"_ said Coulson " _Why kill bank employees?"_

"Maybe whoever else is here is an enemy of Hydra" suggested Triplett "and all these guards and employees are Hydra agents"

" _Maybe"_ said Coulson " _But something about this doesn't sit right"._

Skye noticed something move in one of the live feeds and pulled it up. The camera was of a corridor near one of the vaults in the basement and she saw a pair of large men in black skull like masks trudging along, carrying automatic rifles and a woman in between them.

"Guy's, I think I got something" reported Skye "It looks like our mystery guests are taking someone down to the vaults"

" _Can you see what's going on in the vault?"_ asked the director.

Skye searched among the camera feeds that she had access to but unfortunately it seemed like the cameras in the vault room were all destroyed. The hacker relayed her discovery and Coulson ordered, " _May, Triplett, get down there and try and see what's going on. I'll be there in a minute. Skye, keep watch up the lobby"._

 _"Copy that"_ said May

"On it" said Triplett.

Triplett took off and headed towards the vault through a doorway near the front desk. Skye watched as Triplett stalk through the empty hall towards the vault and a minute later, May striding up behind him.

Another minute or two passed and Coulson entered the bank lobby with his Icer gun drawn. "Which way?" asked Coulson. Skye gestured to the door.

Before the director left, Skye stopped him and said "Be careful down there. I…I have a very bad feeling about this"

"I know" said Coulson grimly.

The director disappeared through the same doorway Triplett used and hurried down the same hall as his agents and beyond Skye's sight.

Unbeknownst to the hacker, in the upper most corner of Skye's screen, a shadow passed in front of the camera very briefly and disappeared in the dark winter night. Had she actually kept watch, she might've caught sight of something very strange.

* * *

Coulson caught up to Triplett and May. The two agents were hiding behind two huge pallets that carried enormous stacks of boxes, all stamped with Hydra's dark insignia.

Coulson took up a position near May and managed to steal a glance from behind his hiding place. The room holding the bank vault was enormous.

It was huge and contained at least a dozen more pallets. The bank vault was wide open and several men in black skull masks were wheeling out stacks of money and loading them onto an ambulance that had backed into the room through a huge opening in the wall.

Coulson saw two men were standing there, guarding a dark haired young woman dressed in clean, grey business attire.

However, Coulson saw that the young woman looked like she was ready to burst into a fit of laughter. She had a wide grin on her face and was snickering non-stop. The director thought it strange but he then thought of the dead bodies that May and Skye found.

Maybe the woman was affected by whatever killed those people. Coulson's eyes roamed the vault room until they landed on a tall figure, dressed in an expensive white suit and wore a black, metal mask that looked like a skull.

The director immediately knew the man in the mask. Roman Sionis, also known to his criminal associates as the Black Mask.

He stood there, thumbing through a folder and humming "Carol of the Bells" as his henchmen loaded more money into the ambulance. The director was growing more confused with each passing moment.

Just what in the world is going on? Why was Sionis loading money from his bank into an ambulance? Why were most of his employees dead? It just didn't make sense. Unless…

Coulson emerged from his hiding place and took aim at Sionis. May and Triplett were confused at the sudden move but they followed suit.

They took aim at the other henchmen and were ready to act in case things went wrong.

Instantly, Sionis and his men noticed. The men loading the money all froze. The two guarding the young woman raised their guns but oddly enough, Sionis raised a hand and the guards lowered their weapons.

"Roman Sionis" said Coulson in a loud, clear voice "You are under arrest"

"Under whose authority?" asked Black Mask coolly

"Under the authority of United States Government for colluding with a terrorist organization" retorted Coulson.

Black Mask tilted his head to one side "Really? You think you can waltz into my bank and threaten me?" he reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol.

May turned her weapon on Sionis. "Don't think about it" growled the agent. The man in the mask kept his gun in his hand but was completely still.

"Tell you what Roman" continued Coulson "We'll forget about your criminal record and what you are usually up to on a Friday night, if you can tell us why a respectable scumbag like yourself is now a goon for Hydra".

Black Mask stood there for a moment and looked a little confused "Hydra? Aren't they dead?"

Coulson frowned a little. He could almost swear that he could hear Sionis giggling to himself but the businessman managed to hide it well under a short cough.

The masked man coughed "I never like their type. Sounds like a buncha losers if you ask me". He turned and strolled over to the young business woman and jabbed the barrel of his gun into her cheek "How 'bout you doll? What do you think of Hydra?"

"Ha-ha-he-screw… he, he, s-screw you! Ha!" she managed to spit out in between fits of giggling.

Suddenly, another pair of masked men appeared, carrying a figure in a tattered suit. His wrists were bound together behind his back and had a bag over his head. The two thugs shoved the bound figure to his knees.

Black Mask walked over and pulled the bag off of the man's head.

The man had slick black hair, had tanned skin and had lots of old scars on his face. A strip of tape covered the man's lips, preventing him from speaking.

Coulson and May noticed that there were some fresh cuts and bruises on the man's. The bound man looked around in confusion then he looked up at Black Mask and he began to scream a muffled scream.

"And you sir, what do you think of Hydra?" asked Black Mask. The masked crime lord leaned down and tore the tape from his captive's lips.

The bound man winced for a moment then he snarled "You son of a bitch! You think you can steal from me? Hell, you think you can steal from Hydra and get away with it? You're dumber than you look. You're dead! You hear me! You're dead!"

It was then, Coulson's theory was confirmed. The man in the mask was not Sionis.

The man calling himself Black Mask rolled his eyes then suddenly started clubbing the real Sionis mercilessly with the handle of his gun.

He screamed with each strike, "Can't...you….just…play…along!" The real Roman Sionis was pummeled until he was lying on the floor, even more bruised and covered in a lot of blood. Even when he was down, the faker threw in a few vicious kicks to the stomach and face for good measure.

As they watched the beating, the young woman burst out into loud, hysterical laughter. "You're insane!" laughed the young woman.

Once the beatings were done, Fake Black Mask gestured to a pair of his henchmen and they moved in and dragged the pitiful figure off and put him in the back of the ambulance. He turned to the Shield agents and adjusted his necktie.

"Well…this is awkward" said Coulson, after a small bit of silence following the beatings.

Triplett scowled at the fake Black Mask "So…if that poor bastard was the real Sionis…who're you".

The faker slid his gun back into his jacket and he reached up behind his mask. He fiddled around and there was a loud click and he lowered his head. The man in the mask pulled the mask off slowly and he raised his head, revealing his true face.

None of the Shield agents would really admit it but deep down, the face they saw instantly became one of the most chilling things they had seen in a while.

Standing there in full view was a man who looked like a demented clown. His face was white as paper, his lips were red as blood and his hair as green as a Christmas tree.

Coulson stared at the man for a good long moment then said, "So…who are we speaking to now?"

"The name's Joker" said the man, his voice no longer gruff or carrying the business tone. The clown's voice was softer but it still had a cold edge that made Coulson's skin crawl.

"So, you're the one who slaughtered all those innocent people upstairs" said Coulson.

The Joker grinned, "Slaughter? Yes. Innocent? No. All of them were Hydra stoolies. All of them just as wormy and treacherous as the next". He tilted his head to one side and sighed "Such a shame. Such talent wasted on an organization with such a narrow vision"

"Narrow vision?" repeated Triplett in confusion.

The Joker's grin widened "Yes. The power and destruction within their grasp and they decide to waste it on world domination" he waved a hand and said in song, "Boring! Honestly, those blowhards should've stayed dead when the big bad Skull bit the dust"

"So you decide to kill all those people and run Sionis' operation. Now you're robbing both Sionis and Hydra" deduced May.

The clown shrugged "Well, to be frank it's my operation now. Right boys?"

The henchmen all shed their black masks and donned clownish masks with various facial expressions plastered on them.

"Ok, not weird at all" muttered Triplett.

"You're making a very powerful enemy tonight, you know that" warned Coulson "Hydra doesn't take kindly to folks who steal from them"

"Oh I know" said Joker casually "In fact, they're supposed to be sending some assassins after me tonight. That is, they would be, if they didn't have that little mishap on the Gotham Bridge."

May frowned in confusion, "Mishap? When?"

"In thirty seconds" said Joker casually.

The three agents stared at the clown in surprise. The young woman continued laughing hysterically with tears starting to run down her cheeks.

Coulson scowled at the clown "Ok, you've made your point. You got what you want, now let the girl go"

"Oh life would be so simple if money was all that I wanted" said the Joker dreamily "However, it's a mere mean to an end and you dear G-men are just a tiny, little distraction compared to what I've got in store". He reached over and wrapped his arm around the young woman's waist and pulled her close to him. He rested his head on her shoulder "Me and this little cutie have a lot on our itinerary this evening".

The clown's gloved hand slipped into his jacket and withdrew with a green and purple canister of sorts that looked like a grenade.

"Here, have a laugh on me!" laughed the Joker. He pulled the pin with his teeth and he lobbed the grenade.

The little grenade sailed over the Shield agent's heads and landed with a clank. It exploded on impact, enveloping them instantly in a dark green haze. May, Triplett and Coulson tried to shield themselves and make a break for the exit but it was too late.

A sweet peppermint scent filled their lungs and all the fear and anxiety they felt moments ago melted away like ice in the summer.

In seconds, Triplett started to chuckle, then so did May and finally Coulson.

The chuckling turned to laughter and it suddenly became harder and harder to stop. It was as if someone had magically turned everything into one huge hilarious joke. The three did their best to stop but they found that they couldn't stop laughing, let alone breathe.

"Love to stay and share a few laughs with you" said the Joker sadly "But I've got plans for my huge, up-and-coming Christmas Bash for my special guests, Hydra!"

He handed the laughing young woman off to one of his men and he scooped her up then tossed her into the back of the ambulance with a bloody and beaten Sionis.

Joker hopped onto the back of the ambulance and hung onto the door. He knocked on the back of the vehicle and it started up and started to roll away.

The demented clown cried cheerfully "Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

The ambulance peeled out of the bank with a loud screech and the goons hustled after him into the cold Gotham night.

Coulson tried to give chase but he found himself doubled over, laughing like nothing was wrong.

" _Coulson? Coulson? What's going on?"_ asked Skye fearfully " _What the hell is going on?"_

"S-s-heh-Skye!" laughed Coulson.

That was all that he could manage before the world around him started to grow hazy.

The director of shield slowly sank to his knees and everything started to grow dark.

Before Coulson lost consciousness, he saw a huge, dark figure emerge from the shadows and rushed to his side.

The director immediately dismissed what he saw as crazy. He could've sworn that he was looking at a large bat.

End...?

* * *

 **(a/n: So, what do you think? Originally i wanted to put this up on Christmas Day but time just slipped on by and i tried to at least put this up by New Years Eve. So yeah, i hope that i stayed true to Agents of Shield and Batman. This is based entirely off of Arkham Origins. I might continue, if anyone reads this and actually likes this. If you enjoyed it, let me know! Anyway, happy New Years!)**


	2. Ch 2: On This Cold December Night

**(a/n: Well, i did a bit of thinking and i've decided that i'll make this a full story. Also, i'll be making a side story. It will be a crossover with Agent Carter. I'm not sure when it'll be up, but hopefully soon. Well, enjoy! Happy New Year and all that!)**

* * *

Ch.2: On This Cold December Night

Skye swallowed hard and tiptoed closer to the end of the hall.

She had just witnessed Coulson, May and Triplett face off against that Sionis guy. Only, Sionis turned out to be some freaky clown named Joker and he bombed them with some sort of gas. The young agent wanted to rush down there and help but she stopped herself, knowing that she would only end up like them. Skye waited a minute or two, letting the gas dissipate, then she grabbed her Icer gun and rushed down to the vault.

However, now that she was only a few feet away from the entrance to where the vault was stored, she paused.

Skye could hear some footsteps and some beeping. The young agent paused for a moment. She strained to listen and she could hear more footsteps.

 _More thugs?_ thought Skye. It didn't matter. She was an agent of Shield, armed and trained by some of the best and she wasn't going to hesitate to save her teammates.

Skye made sure that her weapon was loaded and ready. Inching closer to the edge of the doorway, Skye took a deep breath and moved in. The young agent swept around the room quickly with her weapon raised and senses on full alert. The room containing the vault was empty, except for dozens of scattered pallets, the pillaged vault and her three friends.

After a quick sweep and was sure that there were no traps or masked henchmen lurking around, Skye rushed to Coulson's side.

"Coulson…Coulson!" hissed Skye, kneeling down and checking his pulse. To her relief, Coulson still had a pulse and his face didn't have the twisted grin of the other bodies they found. She checked on May and Triplett and was also relieved to see the same thing.

All three of her friends were alive and seemingly unaffected by whatever that Joker guy threw at them. Skye heaved a sigh of relief and moved to wake her friends up but suddenly paused when she saw a large, dark shape move in her peripheral vision.

Quick as a flash, Skye spun around with her Icer at the ready but saw nothing but shadows.

Again there was another blur of movement and just as Skye rounded to face whatever that lurked in the shadows, she was confronted by a strange and startling sight. Standing right in front of her, a few inches away from her, was a large man shaped creature draped in a cloak that seemed to meld with the darkness of the room.

Most of the being was covered in shadow, but Skye was able to see that he was a man. Although she saw that his silhouette had tall pointed ears, which made him look like an enormous, armored up bat. For a moment, Skye froze. Her weapon was trained on the being but for some reason the young agent was unable to pull the trigger, as if all her brain and her limbs suddenly stopped communicating.

A moment later, the bat became a blur of movement and Skye's weapon flew out of her hand. The Icer went skidding across the concrete floor several feet away. Pain flared in Skye's wrist and that was what she needed to snap her out of her frozen state. The young agent threw a punch at the creature but her strike hit nothing but air. The figure retaliated by sweeping her legs out from under her.

In the blink of an eye, Skye found herself on the ground, staring up at a masked face that was glaring back at her.

"Who are you?" growled the masked man.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," replied Skye, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"I don't have time for this, The Joker is getting away and your friends are dying." The man reached for his belt and unhooked a small metal canister. He held it up, "This is should help them." He shoved the canister into Skye's hand "Inoculate them right now, it will slow down the effects of the toxin. After that, get them to a hospital for further treatment."

The masked man turned to leave but Skye called after him "Wait! Who are you?"

The strange man in the mask stopped and glanced back to Skye. "None of your concern" answered the man, brusquely "You have until dawn to leave my city. Shield does good work, but you'll only be getting in the way."

Before Skye could offer a retort, the man disappeared through the ruined wall. Skye scrambled to her feet and followed but saw nothing but an empty street with snowflakes skirling past on a cold wind. She glanced around and failed to find any clue indicating where the costumed man went.

Skye sighed and retreated back into the bank and went to work.

* * *

Pain greeted Coulson. He blinked his eyes furiously as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. The director's head pounded furiously, as if a bunch of jackhammers were trying to split open his skull.

It honestly wasn't the worst thing that Coulson has ever felt but it was up there along side the time that he was stabbed by the Asgardian, Loki.

Once Coulson's vision focused, the Shield director looked about him in confusion. He was lying in a hospital bed in a fairly large room with several other beds. The only light illuminating the dim, quiet room was some bedside lamps and a few strings of Christmas lights hanging on the walls. For a brief moment he forgot what had happened, but then it all came rushing back into his mind: Gotham Merchants Bank, Roman Sionis, the laughing woman and lastly, the twisted clown calling himself the Joker.

Coulson waited for a minute, his headache faded a little then managed to get his bearings. He was in a bed, his jacket and shoes were removed but his clothes were mostly left on his body.

The director carefully turned his head and searched around. He saw Trip and May lying beside him, unconscious but alive in hospital beds. Coulson was glad for that and was relieved that he was alive.

The door opened and Skye and Simmons walked in. Skye's expression brightened. "You're up!" said Skye, cheerfully and a little too loud for Coulson.

He winced "Yeah, barely. I feel like I went on a major bender and got kicked in the head."

"Well you were exposed to a heavy dose of a toxic gas comprised of deadly chemicals, several of which I have never seen before," joined Simmons "all things considering, a headache is a stroke of good luck."

Skye handed Coulson a cup of water that she brought with her and briefed the director on what happened. She explained that Coulson and the others had been out cold all night and all day the next morning. Simmons arrived from the Bus, their jet, and helped out. They remained at the hospital all night and a good chunk of the day, observing their teammates health.

Skye then related the events at Gotham Merchants Bank. After the Joker fled and Coulson and the others were knocked out, Skye went in to try and help. She recounted her encountered with a masked man, which caused Coulson to raise an eyebrow. Coulson had heard of Gotham's residential vigilante, who has been running around and cracking some criminal skulls. The media and the police chalked him up as a nut job that should be stopped but Coulson has seen that he has had a positive effect on Gotham. The local crime rate has dropped to a significantly low number and from what he heard; organized crime had taken a serious hit. In the eyes of the law, this man was a menace but in Coulson's opinion, this masked man was doing something constructive. He would've dug a little deeper in to this matter but Coulson has had a whole lot on his plate that took precedence over the antics of a vigilante in Gotham.

However, after hearing this man's threat and encountering the Joker, Coulson was willing to brush up on what's going on in Gotham.

Skye explained that after she treated Coulson, May and Triplett with the canister the masked man gave her, the police arrived. Thankfully, the young agent came up with a cover story in order to hide their true identities. She told them that they were federal agents who were investigating Sionis for some shading dealings that were going on in the bank. The police were a little suspicious but they too were keeping an eye on Sionis, so they eventually bought the story.

Coulson was glad for Skye's quick thinking. If it weren't for her, they'd probably all be on their way to a federal prison, or worse. The cover story wasn't far from the truth so it won't be too hard to talk about if someone questioned them. Which brought Coulson and the others to the hospital.

"You were in pretty bad shape for most of the night," explained Skye "But thanks to that canister that masked guy gave me, you managed to pull through."

"The doctors here have encountered this Joker and his victims before," said Simmons "They had at least a dozen cases in the past few months that had been affected by this toxin. They managed to come up with a treatment that abates the effects of this 'Joker Toxin' as they call it and purge it from your system."

"You think you can come up with an antidote, in case we run into him again?" asked Coulson.

Simmons nodded "I think I can manage it."

A few minutes later, May and Triplett woke up. The two agents complained of a throbbing headache but were otherwise fine. Skye got them caught up with what happened.

After the explanations were through, May asked, "Do the police know the Joker's true identity? Any leads that could help?"

Skye shook her head. "That's the thing, they have no idea who he is," she said grimly, "He's relatively new to Gotham. There were several crime scenes that were similar to what happened at Gotham Merchants Bank, smiling corpses and such. They found some prints but no matches. They managed to catch a few of his associates but from what they got out of them, they don't know who he is either. They won't say much more because they're terrified of him. This Joker guy is like a ghost. No friends, no family, nothing. He just…popped up one day and started going on a violent crime spree."

An eerie chill fell on the group of Shield agents. Technically they're not supposed to exist and they've worked in the shadows, but they've yet to encounter a man who almost literally doesn't exist and instills terrible fear in others like the Joker.

"What about this masked man?" asked Triplett

"No leads on that either" said Simmons "But, according to some of the nurses i talked to, he's rather new as well. They call him the Batman."

Coulson smiled a little "Catchy."

Simmons reached into her bag and withdrew a tablet "Interestingly enough, there was a riot at Blackgate Prison earlier that evening." She typed in some commands and pulled up security footage of a cellblock within the prison. The video showed a long corridor filled with open cells and dozens of prisoners running amok, wrestling guards and each other. Among the riotous frenzy, a familiar masked figure in a clean white suit strolling along with ease, surrounded by a group of armed, masked men in black suits.

"Sionis?" said Triplett

"Joker, probably" corrected May.

None of the prisoners paid the masked men any heed. A few seconds after the masked group exited the camera's view, the prisoners suddenly turned and started converging on a new comer, the Batman. The Shield agents watched in amazement as this lone figure took on a small army of violent prisoners. A number of them were large and looked pretty strong but this new comer knocked them aside like nothing. Expertly maneuvering past flailing limbs and attacks, the newcomer threw a few punches here, delivered a powerful kick there, and threw an elbow a few times.

Within a matter of seconds, he was the last man standing. Simmons paused the footage and they all got a better look at the lone combatant. He stood a head taller than most of the combatants and aside from the bat like mask with the tall pointed ears; they saw that he the man wore body armor with a bat emblazoned on it, a utility belt of sorts, gauntlets and boots.

Coulson's eyebrows were raised "Interesting costume."

"He's got some moves," commented May.

"According to reports, Gotham's residential vigilante helped quell the riots and escaped via a, and I quote, ' _high tech air craft of unknown design'_ which seems to indicate that he is not only highly trained, but is also well equipped. _"_ concluded Simmons.

Coulson considered the footage he just watched and thought it interesting. Fancy gadgets and combat training would suggest that this guy was probably ex-military and was either well off or well funded. The director of Shield made a note to investigate this guy further, but for the most part the Joker and the remnants of Hydra that were hiding out in Gotham were top priority.

The topic of conversation turned to one of planning. Triplett sat up and sat on the side of his bed. "Well, what do we do now?" asked Triplett, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"We find Sionis," said Coulson "He's our only link to Hydra. If we can get him back, we can get him to tell us everything about their operations and their agents and, hopefully, help us get at least a step ahead of them."

"What about the Joker?" asked May "He seems to have plans of his own, seeing as he was in the middle of a prison riot before we ran into him at the bank. He could be trouble."

Coulson nodded slowly. The Joker seems to be the wildcard in this whole thing. They didn't know enough about him to properly anticipate his moves or discern his endgame. This would require some unconventional methods.

Coulson looked to May "We're going to have to play ball with the police on this one, see if we can compare notes and get Sionis back before Joker grows bored of him." Although they are able to access any database on the planet with a bit of hacking and usually kept to the "work in the shadows" method of operation, the director felt that asking was probably a better idea on this mission. Gotham was new territory for them and if they were going to get to Sionis fast enough, they're going to need extra sets of eyes and hands. Plus, it wouldn't look too good if the police discovered their hacking or if they stumbled on them during a crucial part of their investigation.

May nodded "I agree."

Coulson remembered Joker's vague mentioning of Hydra assassins coming for him and a mishap on the Gotham Bridge. He turned to Simmons and asked her if there had been an incident on the bridge.

Her eyebrows rose. "Well, while we were waiting for you lot to wake up, I did notice that there was a mention on the news about a commotion on the bridge." She typed a few new commands into her tablet and brought up a few news reports. Her eyes scanned the reports quickly and read aloud some of the more relevant information. " _…p.m. last night, there was a traffic accident on the Gotham Bridge involving the driver of an SUV coming in from New Jersey. The driver was identified as a man in his mid thirties named Leonard West, and his passenger, a woman in her late twenties, going by the name of Felicia DeWitt..."_

Simmons trailed off and her eyes narrowed and murmured, "Well that's… that's interesting."

"What is it?" asked Skye.

Simmons paused for a moment then continued, " _according to eyewitness accounts, the driver seemed to have passed out, causing the car to swerve out of control, break through safety barriers and fall into Gotham Bay. This morning, Gotham P.D. has ruled it as a heart attack. However, a source within the G.C.P.D has stated that it was, in fact, a murder. The source goes on to point out there being a single gunshot wound found on both the driver and the passenger that oddly matched up, and a single bullet hole in the SUV's windshield. Authorities have thus far declined to comment on recent developments…"_

Skye and Triplett gave Simmons a look. "Are you saying that someone just killed two people, who were in a moving car, with a single bullet?" said Triplett.

"It kind of sounds like it," said Skye "But is that even possible?"

"It's impossible," said May, firmly.

"Actually, it is possible" said Coulson.

Everyone looked at the director with surprise and questions written on their faces. The director of Shield shook his head slowly, expression growing grim "I know of only one man who could make a shot like that."

May frowned at Coulson "Who? There's no one that I can think of who could possibly make a shot like that."

"There is one, actually. You've met him once before, remember? In Bucharest."

The agent's brows furrowed and she thought for a moment. It took a few moments but the memories came back to her. "Oh crap," muttered May, bitterly "But I thought he died."

Coulson shook his head "Apparently not."

"Uh, who are you talking about?" Skye cut in.

"A mercenary we encountered a long time ago," explained May "A sniper… an excellent marksman. Former U.S. Army, 'til he decided to pick up extra money by doing odd jobs: killing politicians, drug kingpins and other high value targets, for a steep price. Before he went rogue, Shield approached him and offered him a job but he turned us down. Shield and Interpol had been chasing him nonstop ever since. We thought we had him in Bucharest, but he slipped away. A month later, rumors went around saying that he got captured and killed when he tried offing a politician in Morocco."

Triplett snorted "So much for that."

Coulson finished May's explanation, "His name is Floyd Lawton, goes by the codename of Deadshot. He's quick, a damn good shot and very reckless. If he's here, we're going to have to tread lightly."

There was a knock at the door and in stepped two men. The first was average height, had black hair, dark eyes, thick meaty hands and a paunch. The other was a few inches taller, was skinner but looked well built. He wore glasses over energetic brown eyes and had a thick mustache.

Both wore heavy winter coats, hats and gloves.

The mustached man smiled "Ah, good to see that you're feeling well." He took off his hat, revealing a head of thick brown hair "I'm Captain James Gordon," he gestured to the other man "this is Detective Harvey Bullock. We're with the GCPD and we've got some questions that we hope you don't mind answering. It's about Roman Sionis."

Coulson smiled "Sure, always happy to cooperate with the police."

End of Chapter

* * *

 **(a/n: What do you think? It's not too long and stuff but i thought i put this out for the New Year. I hope you enjoyed this, tell me what you think. Please review!)**


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